Beijing blacklists 2500 tourists

--FILE--Tourists visit the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in Beijing, China, 12 July 2015.

Almost all of Beijing's Forbidden City will be opened to the public, under plans announced by the administrators to make accessible many parts that have been off limits. Eighty percent of the site, known in China as the Palace Museum, will be open from 2020, up from the current 65 percent, and the long-term goal is 85 percent, compared with 30 percent 13 years ago, curator Shan Jixiang said at an international eco-city forum in north China's Tianjin City on Wednesday (16 September 2015). Some administrative and ancillary facilities are being removed and old architecture renovated in preparation for the wider opening. A storage facility is also being revamped to display to the public thousands of pieces of furniture crafted in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). Made of precious wood, the furniture is scattered in more than 30 storerooms, without being exhibited or repaired, according to Shan. He said all cars will be banned from parking in the Forbidden city within five years to protect its landscape.

Beijing’s Forbidden City, one of the city’s most-visited monuments, has blacklisted 2,500 tourists for uncivilised behaviour since June when the list was created.

According to the China Daily newspaper, improper behaviour such as scrawling graffiti on historical relics, scalping tickets and littering can get a visitor’s name included in the list, which will then incur a ban for three years.

Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, said the blacklist system has worked well in curbing misbehaviour in the monument, which receives thousands of visitors every day.

This year, a daily cap of 80,000 tourists was set, of which 50,000 tickets are sold online to prevent long queues at the booking office.

There was also a crackdown on reselling tickets.

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